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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (April 30, 2003)
Page 8 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, April 30, 2003 Project ... (Continued from page 1) ence teacher Mary Trammell said the project will create a “living lab” for students. “Indirect learning works best,” Trammell said. “The learning the kids do should radiate into the community,” she said. Ultimately, students will learn to respect Nature and become “caretakers in the for- est,” Trammell said. The students will be in- volved in making trails, and deciding what to plant in the area. Eventually, the area will be like a living lab for stu- dents, Trammell said. She has received a Teach- ers in the Woods grant to at- tend a seminar this summer. Students will be really involved, will help evaluate the area, establish native vege- tation and help in ridding the area of noxious weeds, also identifying plants. There is also talk of even- tually putting in a pond. “They have an area that’s literally in their backyard,” Cleveland said. “This little area is quite a representation of the area’s forest.” Cleveland did some of the clearing work at the school site in 2001 as part of a pro- ject for the city of Cave Junc- tion. He has done this type of work for 20 years. He said that Hewkin ap- proached him with the project. Cleveland initiated sup- port from FAC and ODF to develop an action plan. FAC has dedicated time and resources to help with fuels reduction. The last day of clearing brush was on Mon- day, April 28. The IVHS track team and coaches showed up to work. FAC also will supply the plants to be planted, said Fitz- patrick, FAC forest technician involved in the project. FAC President Susan Chapp said that the group sees its role as a long-term one. Volunteer fallers, includ- ing Bob Webb and Dominic Materazzi, donated time and effort to cut down some snags. Another project goal is to improve or replace the fence currently surrounding the wooded area through grant funds, Cleveland said. FAC doing the prelimi- nary work of clearing under- brush and fuels reduction. Fu- els reduction work was to be finished on Monday. Money for the project was made available through the National Fire Plan. “It’s a win-win situation for everybody,” Cleveland said, noting that he is thrilled to be a part of the project. Dykes chosen to lead county health office Josephine County Board of Commissioners announced the appointment of Pam Dykes as interim director for the Josephine County Public Health and Community Ac- tion Dept. Dykes will replace the retiring Gwen Bowman effec- tive June 1. Dykes was hired by Jose- phine County in July 1990 and currently serves as the deputy administrator of the depart- ment, as well as the division manager for Public Health and Correctional Health. She was awarded the title and job re- sponsibilities of director of nursing in May 2000. The interim director posi- tion will include administra- tion of the following depart- ment divisions: public health, environmental health, animal protection and regulation, Community Action, Food Share, correctional health. One student died, and three classmates from Lorna Byrne were injured in the crash of a pickup truck. (Photo by IVFD) Family, I.V. mourn loss (Continued from page 1) with Dr. James Olson, county medical examiner. The girl’s father and her aunt, Cave Junction resident Kris Rust, said that they have “found it impossible” to con- tact him, despite numerous telephone calls to various lo- cations, as they want to know when the body will be re- leased so that a funeral and burial can be held. They also phoned Karen Gunson in the state medical examiner’s of- fice in Salem, who gave them no help, said Rust, but made excuses. “We’ve been waiting for several days now to find out when the body will be re- leased,” said Rust on Monday, April 28. “Many relatives who came from out-of-town, figur- ing that a funeral would be held soon, have had to leave, as they were unable to wait here any longer.” She added that the family “will bring Tygrachet home” and bury her on the family ranch here. Earlier, there was a plan to have the burial in Pennsylvania, but that has been changed. A memorial fund was set up at SOFCU in Cave Junction to help with that, but the family no longer needs financial help, said Ty- grachet’s father. He indicated that the fund provides a way for many in the community to show their caring, and that any monies given to the memorial fund will be put to good use for others. Tygrachet, said LBMS Principal Peter Maluk, was “a bright and wholesome” youngster involved in activi- ties including drama. Her mother noted that Tygrachet was “a good girl” who “made one mistake and died.” Be- sides school activities, the girl had won a number of beauty pageants, her mother said. The mistake to which she referred is that the girl was missing from home last Wednesday morning, and that she had been seeing a new boyfriend after breaking up with another. The parents, at the recommendation of the sheriff’s office, reported her as a runaway person so that deputies could look for her. However, before she could be located, the crash occurred. There was no evi- dence of alcohol use, said the sheriff’s office. Injured in the accident, reported at 4:32 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23 in the 2900 block of Dick George Road, were O’Brien resident Dustin F. Culver, 13, identi- fied as the driver of his par- ent’s 1989 Chevrolet pickup truck by Josephine County Sheriff’s Office; and Cave Junction residents Christopher Cueva; and O’Rion C. Bellus, both 14. Bellus was taken via a Mercy Flights medical evacuation helicopter to Rogue Valley Medical Center in Medford. He was reported in critical, but improving con- dition. Culver and Cueva were taken by American Medical Response ambulance to Three Rivers Community Hospital in Grants Pass. Their conditions were not immediately avail- able, but unofficial reports said they were “doing OK.” An accident reconstruc- tion team from Oregon State Police is said to be working on the case with sheriff’s road deputies and detectives. Inves- tigation also involves the situation of the boy’s driving the pickup, apparently without his parent’s knowledge. The morning after the crash, Maluk went on the mid- dle school television station, KVIK, and talked about the incident to inform students. In addition, several persons trained in grief counseling were at the school, and many of the some 370 students availed themselves of their presence, said Maluk. “We also have done some debrief- ing during the days follow- ing,” he said. For valley emergency per- sonnel involved in the inci- dent, including members of I.V. Rural Fire Protection Dis- trict, a Critical Incident Stress Debriefing was held on Friday evening, April 25 in Cave Junction City Hall. “It was well attended and went well,” said acting Chief Jeff Gavlik. Tygrachet’s family is grateful for the prayers, food and other forms of support that have come from through- out the Illinois Valley commu- nity. And, noted her mother, “The whole town is grieving for our little girl, who brought so much love. She was always such a good girl.” Commented the girl’s principal: “It’s tragic and so unnecessary. How could this happen? We’re trying to deter- mine that.” Besides counseling, stu- dents were encouraged to write poems and stories, and draw pictures to help them cope with the loss of their classmate. Here’s one: * * * Until You’re Gone; in lov- ing memory of Tygrachet Rose - By Roxy Holmes, classmate: You never know what you'll miss until it’s gone, and you can’t see the pain that’s caused to those who care until you’re gone. You never knew, but I cared so much; yet I didn’t get the chance to tell you until you were gone. And now you’re gone, and I’m so helpless. What to do? How to deal? Why’d you leave me? I’m so confused. I thought everything was fine, until the moment I real- ized that you were gone. COLORFUL, PLAYFUL PLAYERS - Team ZTO from Cave Junction-based DMZ Paintball Supply took first place in the Sunday, April 20 five-man paintball tournament in Klamath Falls. ZTO players (from left) Jeff Bradbury and Jonathon Bradbury, both from Cave Junc- tion; Michael Champlain from Sunny Valley, name unavailable, Loren Yarbrough, from Cave Junction, and name unavailable. Names also unavailable for the man with the small child. DMZ, weather permitting, plans paintball competition on Saturday, May 3 beginning at 9 a.m. at the paintball park on Upper Reeves Creek Road off Kerby Mainline Road. (Photo by DMZ Paintball) Seniors drug discount program in effect been insured for prescription Oregon’s new program to deliver discounted Medicaid prescription-drug prices to low-income seniors will be- come statewide on Thursday, May 1, when the last of Ore- gon’s 36 counties are added to the self-supporting program. That is when low-income seniors in Josephine, Jackson, Benton, Clackamas, Lincoln and Linn counties will become eligible to request applications for the first time. Those in other counties became eligible to join the program during the past three months. The Senior Prescription Drug Assistance Program, authorized by the 2001 Ore- gon Legislature, is managed by the Oregon Dept. of Hu- man Services (DHS). “This is an opportunity for low-income seniors to save substantially on prescription drugs,” said Lynn Read, state Medicaid director in DHS. “It is easy to sign up, and more than a third of Oregon’s phar- macies are voluntarily partici- pating.” Seniors may request appli- cations by calling (800) 359- 9517 (or TTY: 800 621-5260). The toll-free phone line ac- cepts calls weekdays (except holidays) 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. As many as 100,000 low- income seniors are believed to be eligible. To be eligible, a senior must be 65 or older, have an income below 185 percent of the federal poverty level ($16,391 annually for an indi- vidual), have less than $2,000 in liquid assets (not including house and car) and not have drugs in the prior six months. If a prescription drug would normally cost $60 but the state Medicaid program pays $50, then the participat- ing senior would also pay $50. Typical discounts are 10 per- cent to 20 percent, although Read said mail-order prescrip- tions may be discounted more. Seniors pay a $50 annual fee after they are determined eligible for the self-supporting program, which issues a mem- bership card that seniors may use at participating pharma- cies. The program is not a Medicaid program, and par- ticipants do not become Medi- caid clients. Read said the Governor’s Commission on Senior Ser- vices reported that 50 percent of uninsured seniors take par- tial doses, and 83 percent skip filling some prescriptions. Fifty-seven percent of Oregon’s seniors have no in- surance for drug costs, accord- ing to the commission’s data. More than a third of the state’s 750-plus pharmacies have signed up to participate in the voluntary program. Saturday, May 3 592-4553 Don’t forget Cinco de Mayo Monday, May 5
